On July 21st, a new module to join the International Space Station launched on
a Proton rocket into orbit. Since then numerous issues with the Nauka module
have cropped up, but recently, it seems to be trending well.
The Nauka Module
The Nauka module is a long-planned addition to the Space Station. Originally
planned for launch in 2007, the project faced regular delays throughout
development. A few of the issues causing these delays included leaky fuel
valves and issues in the propulsion system. The delays led to more issues,
as some components were nearing the end of their guaranteed lifespan and
were replaced before launch.
Once attached to the International Space Station, Nauka (which is Russian
for Science) will serve as a Multipurpose Laboratory Module. It will be
replacing the Pirs module. The Pirs module provided a docking port for
Progress and Soyuz spacecraft and served as an airlock during the
cosmonauts’ EVAs. Nauka will take over those temporarily serve as a docking
port and provide a much larger space as the Russian research module.
Originally, the Pirs module only had a planned lifetime of five years.
Having launched to the International Space Station in late 2001, Pirs is
nearing 20 years of operation.
On Monday, the Pirs module and Progress MS-16
spacecraft will undock from the station
and perform deorbit burns to enter and burn up in the Earth’s atmosphere.
Launch of the Nauka module
Over the last month, while in final preparations for launch, a few sensor
issues had to be addressed, which delayed the launch. On July 21st, the
Proton-M rocket carrying the new module lifted off from Baikonur Cosmodrome.
Nauka module experiences issues in orbit
Shortly after the launch, issues began. An orbit maneuver was delayed for
24-hours due to software issues with the fuel system. These issues also
included the inability to confirm the deployment of the docking target and
antenna.
Most recently, the Module underwent a
make-or-break
test of the rendezvous system.
Roscosmos chief Dmitry Rogozin confirmed
this success of the most recent test of the Nauka module. While more issues
could arise, the success of this test is a very positive outcome thus far,
yet the true success of the mission won’t come until Nauka has successfully
docked with the station and is performing nominally.
Tags:
Space & Astrophysics